Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Rain

Rain, we need it , it feeds our rivers and lakes and our bodies cry out for water in the heat of the summer. Its a blessing when it falls from the sky and we love paddling in the rain.

Except when were are on holiday, then rain is not so welcome. Not to everybody though, some of us love the rain. whenever it rains I get up and out in the water, just love to be under all that falling rain.

It can be a nuisance though, especially if it drops on your lens while out on a trip and you don`t notice it.

Keeping warm in a cold place is more complicated when wet.Tarps are a great help, they go up as soon as we land, they make dry gathering places, good for preparing food and eating, keeping the group together and encouraging cameradie.

There is a multitude of rain gear to keep us dry, some have ponchos, some have rain suites, jackets and pants

Some use plastic

Others have more sophisticated materials and outfits

The umbrella is still one of the most useful inventions, it can protect you from the rain, snow and even the sun and in windy conditions can act as a sail

Tarps cover tents and keep them from the rain but the moisture in the air gets into everything sooner or later and you are always damp.Its important to keep some stuff dry, sleeping bags, a set of clothes for sleeping in, socks and some other stuff too. With a bit of practice you learn to manage in the wet and you always hope that the sky will open up and the sun come through soon .For us it did after 4 days of cloud rain and fog we had 3 days of bright sunshine.It was a great way to end our trip.